An honor for Dan DiNicola

Dan DiNicola, the former movie critic and entertainment reporter for WRGB Ch. 6, will be inducted into the New York Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame, the group announced Monday.

DiNicola died in March at the age of 68. The former high school English teacher won three Emmies and was one of the Capital Region’s best known television personalities. The long-time Schenectady resident in 1978 joined WRGB, and the station remained his television home for more than three decades.

“Dan was a unique talent because he was so well rounded,” said Joseph Reilly, president of the broadcasters association.“He was an excellent writer, a seasoned journalist, and was admired by viewers and colleagues alike.”

The association’s full statement on the DiNicola honor is below:

The New York State Broadcasters Association (NYSBA) today announced that Dan DiNicola, an Emmy-Award winner and long-time film critic and entertainment reporter with the Capital Region’s CBS-6, has been named to NYSBA’s 2010 Hall of Fame.

DiNicola, who passed away in March at the age of 68 from a brain tumor, will be inducted posthumously during the Tony Malara Awards Dinner at the NYSBA’s 48th Executive Conference. The dinner is slated for Monday, June 28th at 7:30 p.m. at the historic Sagamore Resort Hotel in Bolton Landing.

He joins fellow Hall of Fame-bound nominees, including: Don Alhart, a longtime news anchor with WHAM-TV in Rochester; Scott Muni, an FM radio pioneer; Jim Roselle, a veteran radio broadcaster; and Percy Sutton, one of the nation’s most prominent black political and business leaders.

“Dan was a unique talent because he was so well rounded,” said NYSBA President Joseph A. Reilly. “He was an excellent writer, a seasoned journalist, and was admired by viewers and colleagues alike. He is greatly missed and we are proud to honor his memory by inducting him into the 2010 Hall of Fame.”

DiNicola, originally from Pittsfield, Mass., is best known for interviewing celebrities and reviewing movies. While his television career often took him to the bright lights of New York City and Los Angeles, the long-time Schenectady resident started out in a more modest environment — a classroom.

As an English teacher at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School, his students twice voted him “Teacher of the Year.” A gifted writer with a love of literature, DiNicola later joined Schenectady’s The Daily Gazette as a columnist, a role he continued until his death.

In 1978, he joined CBS-6 (formerly WRGB), where he became one of the Capital Region’s best-known television personalities. His career at WRGB not only included celebrity interviews and movie reviews, but also reporting and cooking segments. DiNicola collaborated on “30-Minute Meal” segments with Rachel Ray, a then unknown talent, and is credited for helping to launch her career which eventually catapulted her to shows on the Food Network and the now popular “Rachel Ray Show” on NBC.

DiNicola, a graduate of Siena College in Loudonville, NY, received numerous accolades over the span of his successful career, including Associated Press Awards for his work both as a writer and TV reporter, as well as three Emmy Awards.

For more information on NYSBA’s 48th Annual Executive Conference, call (518) 456-8888, or go to www.nysbroadcasters.org.